The Adventures of Valentine's Day
by SilverWingedAlchemist
Summary: It's Valentines Day in the Soul Society, and you know what that means! Candy, romance, and...confusion? Huh? Wait, Valentine's Day is supposed to be perfect...isn't it? Rukiarenji, ichigoorihime, zarakiunohana, nemuuryu, hitsumomo and plenty more!
1. Chapter 1

"Ken-chan, Ken-chan!!" Yachiru bounced around the halls looking for her captain. Peering into the last room on the right, she spotted the silhouette of his spiky hair.

"Ken-chan!!!!" Finally finding her captain, Yachiru happily jumped on his shoulder.

"Eh, whatta you want?" Zaraki Kenpachi glared at the bubblegum-colored hair on his annoying little vice-captain. "Can't you see I'm busy polishing my zanpakuto?"

"Ken-chan, don't you know what day it is?"

"It's Monday."

"Right! And that means it's Valentines day's eve!!"

"…" Zaraki just stared at the smiling little girl. "And what does that mean exactly?"

"It means you haveta help me get some chocolate to give to everyone!"

"…No. Shoo, I'm busy." With that, Zaraki slammed the door shut leaving poor Yachiru out alone in the hall.

Yachiru pulled her zanpakuto behind her, wondering how she'd get her chocolate. _Hmm, I don't have any money! _Suddenly, she remembered where to get her delicious treats!

She zoomed away, leaving a trail of dust behind her.

­

* * *

Byakuya Kuchiki stepped into his room, removing his scarf. However, before he could even lay the scarf down on his chair, he heard an annoying cry coming from outside. Getting ready to strike down this annoying creature, he removed his zanpakuto and thrust open the window.

"BYAKUSHI!!!" With a deafening cry, Yachiru's face burst into the window frame. "Byaku, it's Valentine's Eve! I need some chocolate!"

Byakuya's face drained of color as he realized who his intruder was. Taking a deep breath so he wouldn't lose his cool, he stared down the little vice-captain. "Leave. I'm tired."

"What?! Nooooo, Byaku, I need some candy! Big booby told me that in the real world, people give out candy on Valentines day! Ken-chan won't help me either, but I know Byaku always has candy!" Yachiru pouted at the stoic captain standing in front of her.

Byakuya closed his eyes, and felt his vein popping. Feeling it was a losing battle, he opened his closet and pulled out a huge bag of candy. Without a word, he hurled the entire bag out of the window. He looked at Yachiru, staring quizzically at him from his bed. Sighing to himself, he pointed to the window.

"YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!! CANDY!!!!! Thanks a bunch, Byakushi!" With that, Yachiru launched herself out of the third story window, chasing that bag of candy.

* * *

**The Real World- 3:30 pm**

Orihime and Tatsuki walked down the streets. Suddenly, without warning, Orihime gasped and fell to the ground.

"What?! What's wrong, Orihime?!" Tatsuki immediately ran to her side, her battle ki flaring, ready to defend off anyone who might make Orihime cry.

"Oh, Tatsuki! I just realized! It's February 13th! I totally forgot!" gasped Orihime.

--" "Oh Orihime, I thought something bad had happened to you. Yeah, it's Monday, so what?"

"Tomorrow's the 14th! It's Valentines day's eve! I totally forgot about it, Tatsuki! Oh no, I'll have to go buy chocolate for Kurosa- gasp I mean, for everyone!" Blushing, Orihime turned away quickly. "I'm sorry Tatsuki-chan, I won't be able to walk you with you to your karate practice! I have to go to the supermarket right away!"

Shaking her head, yet smiling at the same time, Tatsuki turned to her best friend. "Don't worry Orihime. Go get your chocolate. I'll see you around. Be good!" With that, Tatsuki patted her friend's head and helped her up.

Smiling to herself, Orihime thanked her friend and turned around to head towards the supermarket. Checking the time, she realized she had a lot to do in one night! After all, she couldn't make chocolate for just Kurosaki-kun, but also for Chado-kun, Ishida-kun and everyone else! Picking up her skirt, she ran off, humming all the way.

* * *

**Soul Society**

_Hmm…Byakushi didn't have that much candy...so where do I get more? If I wanna make candy for EVERYONE I'll need much more candy!_ Wondered Yachiru. _Big booby always eats all her candy right away! _She jealously thought of captain Hitsugaya, who always seemed to be carrying around snacks and lollies. _Hmph, where does he get all that stuff? He can't have bought it, because he always looks pissed off when he's carrying all those goodies. _Thinking hard, she remembered a conversation she had overheard one day.

* * *

It had been a late afternoon, when Yachiru was walking home on a random rooftop after a day's hard work. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted captains Hitsugaya and Ukitake mood.

"Oi! Shirou-chan! You forgot your gumballs!" Captain Joushiro Ukitake waved at the departing captain.

"Eh? More…?" grumbled the young captain. "Throw it here, Ukitake!"

Winding up, Ukitake threw the bag of gumballs at Hitsugaya. "Have a nice day, Shirou-chan!"

After witnessing all this, Yachiru couldn't help but gasp. Why was Uki giving out free candy and yummies?! She was about to go investigate the reason, but suddenly remembered that Ken-chan was waiting for her. Scowling, she made a mental note to herself.

* * *

"Huh!" thought Yachiru. "I forgot about that whole thing!" _But at least I know where to get my more candy from! _Grinning, she dashed off to her next victim.

* * *

Shirou-chan refers to how Tou**shirou **Hitsugaya and Jou**shirou **Ukitake both have similar sounding names, and how both of them have white hair (Shirou means "white")

**Author's Note**

Hey guys! Hope you all liked it so far! It's my first Bleach fan fic, but I hope it's interesting! Plz leave me comments! Thankie!

-the alchemist


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! Well, now that I've got you hooked (at least enough to have read the 2nd chapter!) I guess I'll introduce myself a little bit! Well, maybe not. You're probably not too interested in who I am anyway All you have to know is that I love anime, and I love Bleach!

So this is my second fanfic, my first is one about Gundam Seed. But this is my first Bleach fanfic, so I was a bit nervous…be nice! I'm not sure how this one's gonna play out; I'm debating whether or not I should make it a serious fanfic or just keep it short and sweet (and hopefully funny!)

Ok, well please read and respond! Thanks!

* * *

Captain Ukitake was lying in bed, staring at his ceiling. He had taken the past few days off because of his cough, which unfortunately hadn't been getting any better. He sighed, and made a mental reminder to himself to thank Captain Unohana for the medicine she had given him for his cough. Shaking his head, yet smiling, he looked at his bed stand. On top was a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a glass of orange juice, accompanied by two very large Get Well cards.

The first one read: Captain Ukitake! Best of luck fighting this cold! I know you have it within your soul to recover, because you're the best Captain! With this homemade chicken noodle soup, I know you will be better in no time, because chicken noodle soup is the best for colds! Sincerely, Sentarou Kotsubaki!

_Well, that was indeed very kind of Kentarou-san to make me soup. _Coughing some more, he looked over to the second car which read: Captain Ukitake! I can't believe you're sick again! But don't worry, because everyone knows that drinking orange juice will help fight colds! Vitamin C is the way to go. And everyone also knows that Sentarou-MonkeyButt doesn't know what he's talking about; orange juice is obviously superior to chicken soup! So make sure you drink mine! Captain, you can just throw out MonkeyButt's soup. Get well soon! Sincerely, Kiyone Kotetsu

Laughing at his cards, Ukitake began to cough some more. His coughing became uncontrollable, and he sat up in bed. He felt a hand patting his back, and soon afterwards, he could finally breathe again.

"What's the matter, Uki?" wondered Yachiru.

"Ah, Yachiru-chan. I'm just a little sick today…" said Ukitake. "It's nothing however, a few days rest won't cure."

"Aww, poor Uki-chan. Well, everyone knows that you need to eat plenty of pig's feet in order to get better!" exclaimed Yachiru.

Ukitake sweatdropped. "Uhm, that's ok, Yachiru-chan. My officers have brought me some things to get better." With that, he pointed to his bed stand. "See?"

Frowning, Yachiru glanced skeptically at the orange juice and soup. Without warning, she grabbed them and threw them promptly out of the window. "Nono, Uki! Those things will make it worse! I'm telling you, pig's feet will make everything better! Whattttt?!?!! Is Uki telling Yachiru that he won't give her candy unless she brings him pig's feet? Awww, Uki! But Yachiru really needs chocolate for tomorrow! What, you say you absolutely refuse? Fine, then Yachiru will bring Uki-chan some pig's feet and then he'll give her chocolate! Ok, I'll be back later Uki! See ya!"

With that, Yachiru promptly jumped out of the window in her search for pig's feet.

Ukitake sweatdropped again. He had no idea what was going on at all. He hadn't said a single word in that entire conversation. Wishing he still had his soup and juice to drink, he sighed.

* * *

Yumichika Ayasegawa had been sitting peacefully on the deck when it happened. He was sipping his green tea while staring at his reflection in the pond's water. "My, my, what a pretty face." Sighing, he closed his eyes to bask in the sunlight. "I do believe I am the most handsome shinigami in Soul Society, no, even in the history of Soul Society's shinigami!"

Just as Yumichika had finished the word "shinigami" he was bombarded first with something hot, and then something cold. Before he could even scream, he was then hit with first a bowl, and then a glass. His hand's shaking in silent fury, he reached up to his perfect hair. Lightly patting it, he discovered that his hand was sticky. He sniffed his hand. What was this smell…citrus? And was that a…noodle?! Quickly running his hand through his hair he discovered a piece of chicken, to his dismay. He heard something above, and saw a small pink-haired figure jumping out of the window. "CURSE YOU, YACHIRUUUUUUUUUU!!!" Screaming at the vice-captain's back, he picked up his Zanpakuto and jumped up. Unfortunately he slipped on the spilt mixture of orange juice and chicken soup on the floor. Falling back, he hit his head on the ledge and was knocked out.

* * *

Yachiru looked back. She thought she had heard someone call her name. She didn't see anyone however, and shrugged. Hmm…now she had to go look for pig's feet. She really didn't have any money at all with her. People usually just gave her things for free.

"Awww…I'll have to go find a pig myself I guess…" Sighing, Yachiru bounded off.

* * *

**The Real World**

Orihime looked at the two different chocolates she held in her hand. _Hmm, I wonder whether Kurosaki-kun likes white or regular chocolate?_ She became so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the voice behind her.

"-san. Inoue-san!" Orihime looked back to discover the familiar orange haired, scowling face looking at her questioningly. Jumping, and hiding her hands behind her back, Orihime stammered, "Oh! Ku-Kurosaki-kun! I'm so sorry, I didn't even notice you!"

Scratching his head, Ichigo Kurosaki glanced down at the blushing girl. "Geez, Inoue-san! You can't be so absent-minded these days! What're you doing here anyway?"

"Uhm, oh, nothing! Nothing at all! Well, I was actually uhm, buying stuff for dinner…I was just about to go get some red bean paste and anchovies!"

Ichigo sweatdropped. "Right, Inoue-san…anyway, what've you got behind your back?"

Orihime jumped again. "Nothing! My hands were just tired so I was resting them uhm…WHITE OR BLACK, KUROSAKI-KUN?"

"Eh?!" Ichigo scratched his head again. "I guess it doesn't really matter at all to me, Inoue-san. Hmm?" Turning around, he sweatdropped once again. "Uhm, sorry Inoue-san, I've gotta go. My family's calling me. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Orihime looked over his shoulder to see Isshin Kurosaki and Yuzu waving frantically at Ichigo. "Of course, Kurosaki-kun! Have a nice day!"

Sighing, Orihime turned back to her chocolate. _So I guess he doesn't really have a preference for white or milk chocolate…I suppose I could buy both! I could use food coloring and decorate the white chocolate…_ With that, she promptly turned and headed towards the cash register.

* * *

**The Soul Society**

Soi fon was hard at work in the kitchen. Sweating over the stove, she smiled to herself. Humming, she reached for her huge pot, but accidentally touched the pot instead of the handle. Roaring at her burned hand, she jumped up and down, and rushed to the sink to pour cold water on it.

"Uhm, Captain?" nervously asked Ohmaeda Marechiyo. "Are you ok? Do you need some assistance?"

"No!" snapped Soi. _I will do this myself, and with no one else's help. _"I'm fine, leave me alone. If you have nothing better to do than annoy me, go patrol the Inner Gates or something."

The poor vice-captain backed off immediately, his ego hurt. However, this was the price to being a vice-captain to THE Soi fon, he reminded himself.

Cursing, Soi fon grabbed the pot, this time by its handle, and quickly poured its contents into her mold. When the pot was empty, she heaved it into the sink. She picked up the mold; it weighed a couple of pounds! She hurriedly put her new kitty mold into the fridge to cool. Grinning despite her injury, she licked chocolate off her fingers. This was going to be this best Valentines Day ever!

Actually i'm very proud of myself for getting out this second chapter so quickly! I hope you liked it! Plz continue reading, and PLEASE leave me comments!!! Those are what keep me going! Seriously!

-the alchemist


	3. Chapter 3

I think this is my best chapter yet, so i hope you all enjoy! it's also my longest chapter yet, so i hope it's good! So far i haven't got any reviews, which make me sad, and wonder if i'm doing ok TTTT...please let me know how i'm doing! I guess i should just be glad that people are even reading this...so thanks!

-the alchemist

* * *

Yachiru happily bounded to her next destination. Yesterday she had heard that Yamada Hanatarou and Captain Unohana planned on having stew today. Humming, she bounded off to Captain Unohana's. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, she noticed a black swallowtail butterfly. 

"Hi hi butterfly-sama!" Yachiru saluted to the butterfly. It faced her and suddenly a booming voice came from it.

"Captains. This is an urgent announcement. Surely you all know what day it is," boomed the voice.

"YAMA-JII!!!" shouted Yachiru excitedly. Yachiru promptly sat down on the rooftop.

"It is February 13th, as you all know. That means that tomorrow-"

"IS CHOCOLATE DAY!!" screamed Yachiru.

"-is Valentines Day," continued the voice. "I understand that this is very last minute, but to celebrate the romance of tomorrow, the Soul Society will hold a gigantic dance tomorrow night at 8 o'clock. Feel free to bring guests from the human world for this one-time only special night! I expect all captains and vice-captains as well as all shinigami representatives to be present. See you all there!"

Gasping, Yachiru decided that she had to hurry along quickly. She had so much to do! First she had to get her chocolate, and now she had to get her date! _Hmmm,_ she decided. _A date…_ Suddenly a shiny ball-like object popped into her head. Grinning, she bounded off, knowing exactly who to invite.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto stared out the window. _A dance, huh? _she thought. _I don't really feel much like going…I wish that Gin were still here, and then I could've asked him…wait, what? _She shook her head violently. _Gin's with Aizen. He's already out of the picture. _Getting up from her chair, she rolled up her sleeves and clenched her fist. _I refuse to let Gin dampen my Valentine's Day! Now if I'm going to have a date then I'd better get some chocolate to bribe him with!_

With that, Matsumoto left the room with a determined face. She knew exactly what she had to do.

* * *

Abarai Renji, Shuhei Hisagi, and Ikkaku Madarame sat together under a porch, drinking sake in the sunlight.

"Eh, what's all this about a dance," wondered Renji. "Seems like a pain in the ass to me."

"It's just a stupid excuse to have a party," replied Hisagi. "Although, I would've never imagined Yamamoto to be that type…"

An image of a happy drunk old man waving sake glasses in the air filled all three of their minds. The three sweatdropped immediately.

"I wonder what he'll do to us if we skip it," remarked Ikkaku. "It's not like-"

All of a sudden, a puffy haired stranger burst out onto the deck, gasping and panting.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" screamed the intruder. "HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN-"

Sighing, Ikkaku swept his sheathed zanpakuto under the intruders feet, causing him to fall to the ground. "Eh, what's up afro head?" he asked, patting the stranger's head with his zanpakuto.

Tears in his eyes, rubbing his back, and immediately jumping to his feet, Yumichika knocked away the zanpakuto impatiently. "I NEED TO FIND YACHI-"

Sighing again, Ikkaku swept his zanpakuto once more, this time on the back of Yumichika's knees. With lightening fast speed, he jumped on top of his friend and pinned him to the ground with his forearm behind Yumichika's neck.

"Calm down, buddy," said Ikkaku. "Here, have some sake. It'll relax ya."

Shaking his head, Renji poured a glass for Yumichika. "Drink up."

* * *

**10 minutes later…**

"Dude, you have a noodle in your hair…" said Hisagi. "Is that the uh, new style?" he sniggered.

"Shut up," growled Yumichika. "That little brat did this to me. I have to find her!"

"Dude, and do what? What're you gonna do to the vice captain of the 11th division?" wondered Renji. "She'll kick your ass any time of the day, and you know it."

This silenced Yumichika, and he filled in the awkward gap by gulping down more sake.

"So," he finally said. "What's all this I hear about a dance?"

The other three sweatdropped. "You don't know nothing?" asked Renji.

"Uh no, well I WAS knocked out cold when I slipped and hit my head…" muttered Yumichika. "As I was running to find that twerp I overheard some officers saying something about a dance?"

"Eh, just some thing Yamamoto planned last minute," grumbled Renji. "It's mandatory, apparently."

"Tomorrow night?" asked Yumichika.

"Mm-hmm…" said Hisagi. "You can invite humans too, if you'd like."

Yumichika sighed. It was too troublesome to go to the real world to ask out ladies. After all, with his looks, he should have no problem at all snagging a date. "So, who you fellas asking, eh?" he wondered.

Such a simple question shouldn't have produced such embarrassing results, certainly not for three grown men. Renji blushed and muttered something about Rukia, while Hisagi turned away, red. Ikkaku just "hmphed" and closed his eyes.

"Eh? Eh? Did I miss something," wondered Yumichika. He raised an eyebrow in Renji's direction. "Let me guess…you will be asking Rukia. Big surprise there." He turned to Hisagi. "You're gonna try the big booby route?"

Hisgai, who had been trying to regain his composure by drinking some more sake coughed and sputtered when he heard this. "Wha-what're you talking about?"

Yumichika's eyes narrowed into an evil smile. "Don't 'what are you talking about' me! I saw you two coming out of that tea shop together…and don't think I missed that kiss you planted on her cheek either!"

At this, Hisagi turned bright red and mumbled something about 'just being friends'.

"No no, Hisagi-kun!" said Ikkaku with a sigh. "I think you and Matsumoto are perfect for each other. She fits you perfectly! Although…I would've never taken you for the type of guy who likes uh, big packages, if you know what I mean."

Hisagi jumped up and snarled at Ikkaku, "It's not like that! Like I said, we're just friends…and I have no idea what you're talking about, either! Matsumoto-san's uhm, features, have no impact on my judgment skills. I'm attracted to her personality, not her breas-"

"AH HAH! So you ARE attracted to her!" screamed Yumichika. "I knew it all along!"

He slyly looked at Hisagi. "And I'm sure her ample boobies have nothing to do with it at all."

Hisagi blushed. But then, as if realizing something, he turned to Ikkaku. "Wait, why were YOU thrown off by Yumichika's comment? You're taking someone to the dance?"

"Hmph. Nah, and if it wasn't mandatory I wouldn't been seen at that stupid thing. Hmph." With that, Ikkaku turned around and refused to say another word, while the other three guys just sweatdropped.

"I guess we shouldn't mention it to our dateless friend," whispered Yumichika.

"Yeah, the poor guy will have to spend a romance-less night all alone," added Renji.

"It sucks that he doesn't even have a girl to ask out, you know? I mean, if there WAS a girl in the picture then it wouldn't be such a big deal," noted Hisagi.

"SHUT UP, YOU FOOLS!!!" screamed Ikkaku. "IF YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ME BEHIND MY BACK, THEN WHISPER AND MAKE SURE I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!"

With that, Ikkaku drained the rest of the sake in one gulp. Sedated for the moment, he sighed.

"Uh…anyway," said Renji, glancing at the limp figure that was Ikkaku. "Do you think it would be weird if I asked Rukia to the dance? I can't really see her as the girly type to get all excited about it…"

**

* * *

**

**Daydream**

"Rukia, would you like to go to the dance tonight with me?" asks Rengi.

"Oh, Rengi, I would love to!" exclaims Rukia.

"Really?" wonders Renji.

"Oh course! There's no one else in the world who I'd rather go with! I mean, I guess I never showed it, but the fact is Renji, I really love you," whispers Rukia. "I think I have, ever since…I don't even know! I…I can't hold it in any longer…Renji!"

With that, she falls into his open arms, and passionately hugs him.

"Oh, Rukia!" A single tear falls out of his eye, as he smiles in the sunset. "This is just too good to be true!"

* * *

**Reality**

"-to be true! OWWWW!!" Renji snapped back into reality as Ikkaku whacked his head with his zanpakuto.

"Dude…" Hisagi sweatdropped. "Man, you're even worse than me! Anyway, just ask her out already. No use in prolonging it."

"You think?" wondered Renji. "I don't know, I always thought that Rukia had this…thing I guess for Kurosaki. I…don't know, maybe I'll just go alone tomorrow night."

"Idiot," mumbled Ikkaku. "What've you got to lose?"

"But, I thought that according to human traditions, on Valentine's Day the girl was supposed to ask the guy out," thought Renji.

"Really? I thought it was the other way around," remarked Yumichika. "The guy's always supposed to ask out the girl."

"Hmm…maybe you're right…" said Renji. "Ok, help me think of what to say."

Instantly the four huddle together, excited by this new turn of events.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"Ugh, I can't believe Yamamoto is making all the captains go tomorrow night," grumbled Zaraki. With a roar, he threw down the zapakuto he had been polishing.

"STUPID SWORD, WHY WON'T YOU TELL ME YOUR NAME, DAMMIT!!!"

Frustrated, Zaraki threw his sword down. Unfortunately, in his rage, he threw it down and it cut his leg in the process. Due to the strength in which he threw the zanpakuto down, it created a gash in his left thigh.

With another roar, Zaraki took the zanpakuto and threw it again, this time against the wall. He could have swore he heard it laughing at him.

"Stupid ass thing, be damned!" he yelled. Breathing hardly, he decided it was best to go out and get some air.

Jumping around on rooftops, he smelled something cooking. Going to investigate, he found a big pot of stew boiling.

"Oh, Zaraki-taicho! Imagine seeing you here! Can I be of some service to you?" asked Captain Unohana.

"Eh, no," grumbled Zaraki. "I just thought I smelled something cooking and came to see what it was."

"Oh, it's just some pig stew I made earlier this morning. Would you care for some?" she asked. Noticing the gash in his pants and the blood stains, she inquired, "Are you ok?"

"It's nothing, just a scratch," muttered Zaraki.

Peering down at his leg, Unohana scratched her chin. "Nonetheless I believe I should take a look at it. We wouldn't want it to get infected, now would we?" She smiled at him, and for the first time in his life, Zaraki blushed.

"Whatcha doin, Ken-chan?"

Without warning, Yachiru popped up from behind Zaraki's back. With one finger on her lip, she asked, "Uhm, what kinda stew is that, Uno-chan?"

Smiling, Unohana replied, "Pig stew, Yachiru-chan. Would you care for some as well?"

"YAYYYYYY!!" Jumping up, Yachiru celebrated the news. "Uno-chan, can Yachiru have some to go? She needs pig feet for Uki-chan!"

If this sounded weird to Unohana, she didn't let it show. "Of course, Yachiru-chan. I'll be right back with a container."

Unohana left the porch to go find some containers. Yachiru glanced at Zaraki and noticed his leg.

"Tsk tsk, Ken-chan! What happened this time?" she wondered. And without waiting for a response, she continued, "Don't worry though, Uno-chan will fix you up!"

For the second time in his life, Zaraki blushed.

"Huh?" Noticing the weird behavior of her captain, Yachiru jumped up to his shoulder and poked his reddening cheek. "Why're you blushing, Ken-chan?"

Coming to his senses, Zaraki swatted her away. "NOTHING! I'm not blushing!"

"Uh uh Ken-chan, you are most definitely are…Are you going to ask her to the dance tomorrow…OH! Thankie Uno-chan!"

Unohana had returned, and had scooped out 4 pig's feet and along with the stew, put some into a Ziploc container for Yachiru.

Forgetting all about her bashful captain, Yachiru bounded off once more, this time heading for Ukitake. "Ok, see you all tomorrow!!" she called as she left. Suddenly remembering, she yelled, "Good luck, Ken-chan! I know you can do it!"

"Hmm?" Watching Yachiru's retreating back, Captain Unohana turned to Zaraki and smiled. "What are you planning to do, Zaraki-san?"

His fist shaking, Zaraki tried to control his anger. No, it would not do, to lose his control in front of the woman he planned to ask to the dance. "Uhm, nothing. I don't know what she's talking about." He sat down roughly. "Where's that stew?"

"Oh, of course!" smiled Unohana. "But first we have to treat your wound, remember? Will you kindly roll up your pant leg for me?"

Zaraki almost choked on his spit. He turned away so she wouldn't see his face. What was wrong with him? All of a sudden he was feeling these weird emotions, and he didn't even have control of his own body! His face was hot and blushing, and his heart was racing. He wasn't so sure he liked this at all. However, Unohana was waiting patiently, so he rolled up his leg.

Unohana took one glance at the gash and sighed. "I see. One second, Zaraki-san. I'll return with some bandages."

She left a very confused Zaraki on the porch. He tried to get a hold of all those thoughts that were flying around his head, but it was overwhelming. With another roar, he slapped his hand to his face and waited for the woman to come back.

* * *

So there it is! I have a feeling that this story is goign to get pretty long and more serious than it as been...i'm going to try to include a bunch of different relationships between most of the characters, so keep reading! (and responding) 

-the alchemist


	4. Chapter 4

HI! Oops, i'm kinda bad at editing! but the thing is, it'll bother me unless i fix it! so..sorry, but here's ch.4 again...sorry guys...enjoy! In this chapter i expanded on some of the relationships that will develop later on in this story...enjoy, and as always, R&R!

* * *

Yachiru, her arms full of pig stew, opened the door to Ukitake's room.

"Uki!!! Guess what I have!!" shrieked the tiny vice-captain. Holding the container out in front of her, she glanced around the room a few times. Spying the bulging bump on the bed, she grabbed hold of the sheets at one end of the bed and yanked them off.

"UKIIII!!" With a cry, she jumped on top of Ukitake and knelt on the bed. Ukitake grimaced and tired to pull the covers over his head, but Yachiru firmly held onto them. Sitting up in bed, he tried to talk, but ended up coughing instead.

"Sheesh Uki. You look sick again," noted Yachiru. "But don't worry, I've brought you your pig's feet. Here!" She shoved the container into Ukitake's hands. Ukitake sweatdropped as she stared at him in anticipation. _Oh man,_ he thought. _How am I supposed to tell her that I don't have any candy on me at all? She'll get mad if I tell her that I gave the last of it to Shirou-chan yesterday…_ "Uh, Yachiru-chan," he began. "I'm afraid I only have a little bit of chocolate on me…" He handed her a tiny bag of some plain chocolate.

Yachiru slowly got off the bed. She raised her head, her eyes glaring. Ukitake swore that he could almost see flames come out of her mouth too, as she hyperventilated. "UKI!!" she roared. "YOU PROMISED ME CHOCOLATE IF I GAVE YOU PIG'S FEET!!!"

Ukitake paled. _Well, actually I didn't have a chance to say anything before she jumped out of the window earlier_, he thought. "I'm really sorry Yachiru-chan, but I don't have anymore…"

Yachiru jumped to a fighting stance. "I KNOW YOU GAVE SOME TO SHORTY-CHAN! I SAW YOU GIVE HIM YUMMIES THE OTHER DAY! THIS ISN'T FAIR, UKI! PREPARE YOURSELF!"

She whipped out her zanpakuto and with a cry, yelled "Twirl to the Heavens, Hana-chan!" With a poof, her sword turned into a giant spinning top which she promptly threw at Ukitake. It landed on Ukitake's back and spun, pinning him to the ground.

"Owowowoowoww!!" cried Ukitake, as the top spun faster and faster on his back. With a groan, Ukitake managed to push the top off his back, and whipped out his own zanpakuto. Reciting, he released it's shikai form. "Be as the waves, become my shield! Be as lightening, become my blade!" It split into two swords, which he used to hack at the spinning top. "HIIII-YAHHH!!!" With a particularly mighty swing, he hit the top at Yachiru. It knocked into her and she went flying across the room and hit a wall.

"Grr…" panted Yachiru, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "BANKAI!" Suddenly the giant top turned into a giant hammer which proceeded to hit Ukitake, and promptly knocked him out unconscious.

Just kidding. This is what really happened…

Immediately, tears began to form in Yachiru's eyes as she learned that there was no candy for her here.

"But what do I do now, Uki-chaaaannnn?" she wailed. "I need to make chocolate for Valentine's Day! What will I do???"

"Aw, I'm sorry Yachiru-chan! Why don't you make some for one person? You can even use that chocolate to ask him to the dance tomorrow," suggested Ukitake.

"Hmm…" Yachiru put a finger on her mouth, wondering. "I guess…that would work…Ok, fine, Uki-chan. Yachiru will go make her chocolate for only her date. She's sure that baldy likes chocolate, so he'll have to agree to take her to the dance!"

Ukitake smiled politely, just glad to have gotten off the hook so easily. "Sounds great to me, Yachiru-chan. I suppose you better be off now, if you're going to be so busy…"

Yachiru didn't seem to notice the hint, but thought his words were for the best anyway, so she decided to leave. "Ok, Uki, I'm gonna go now! I'll see you tomorrow!!!" With that, she ran out of the room, her zanpakuto on wheels trailing after her.

* * *

Meanwhile…in the 10th division's headquarters, Matsumoto was busy at work. She wore a pink apron over her kimono, one that was specially designed to suit her busty attributes. Next to her stood Hinamori Momo. 

"Ahh," sighed Matsumoto. She wiped her forehead and stirred the pot of boiling chocolate on the stove. "The things we women must do for love…"

Momo giggled to herself. Matsumoto had invited her over to make chocolates for their valentines. She of course, would be making some for Hitsugaya. _But it's simply because he's been such a good friend,_ she tried to reassure herself.

It had taken a while of nagging, and it was finally the bribe of some Pocky Sticks that made Matsumoto reveal her secret valentine to Momo.

"Pocky!" With a cry of glee, Matsumoto had snatched the box from Momo's outstretched hands. "Frine, r'll tell r'ou" Her mouth full of the chocolate treats, her response was hardly understandable, but Momo interpreted it as, "Fine, I'll tell you."

"Well?"

"Hisagi-san. From the 9th division."

"Oh wow, Matsumoto-san! You sure know how to pick your guys," giggled Momo. Hisagi Shuuhei was certainly a handsome shinigami that all the girls seemed to have their eyes on.

"So this means you'll be going with him to the dance tomorrow night as well?" wondered Momo.

"Ahh, if he'll take me," sighed Matsumoto. She giggled as she held up the chocolate she had been working on. Momo looked over her shoulder to see an adorable chocolate version of Matsuomoto holding out a heart to another cute chocolate figure of Hisagi. Matsumoto had even used dyed white chocolate to add colors! She glanced down at her own, boring chocolates. She had some hearts and flowers, but that was it.

"Ehh, Momo-chan?" wondered Matsumoto. "No no no! This won't do! Surely shorty won't get the hint if you simply give him these! Now, if you REALLY want to spice things up, how about- Eh?" She glanced over to find a very red and embarrassed Momo.

"Matsumoto-san, how did you know that these were…I mean, that I was planning, uhm…" stuttered Hinamori-chan.

Sighing once more, Matsumoto leaned over and put her arm around Hinamori's shoulders. "No offense or anything, Hinamori-chan…but you're not exactly the stealthy ninja. I mean, everyone practically knows you have a crush on him!"

"W-What? I-I-I don't know what you mean!" stammered Hinamori.

"Aww, c'mon Momo! Just get it over with, and hurry up and give him these chocolates. Here! I'll help you get dressed up for tomorrow when you ask him. That way, for the dance, you can look your best for him! I'll even do your makeup!" She put her hands on her hips and looked at Hinamori intimidating and scary. Hinamori just blushed and meekly nodded; she thought it best not to go against Rangiku at a time like this.

* * *

**The Real World**

Orihime glanced at the clock. It read 7:03 PM. She sighed in relief and wiped her brow. She had finally finished her chocolates for Ichigo, Chad and Uryu. For Ichigo, she had made a bunch of chocolates in the shape of strawberries. She giggled to herself as she pictured his reaction as he saw them. He'd stare at them a bit and then his eyebrow would twitch as he realized that they were strawberries. For Chad, she made cute teddy bears because she knew he loved cute things. Lastly, for Uryu, Orihime made hearts with arrows stuck through them. She thought he'd appreciate the Quincy reference.

Orihime set the chocolates on the rack to cool; she'd wrap them up later. She yawned. It had been a long day at school, and she was tired…she glanced at the clock once more. She'd take little nap for now and then wake up later…

* * *

"GODDAMMIT!" Yorouichi roared as she burnt herself for the third time straight. _These stupid things aren't even WORTH the trouble!_ She fumed as she sucked on her burn fingers. 

"Uh, Yorouichi-san, is everything ok in there?" came Kisuke's voice from behind the closed door.

"It's FINE, so STAY OUT!" roared Yorouichi. This wasn't working. She was a woman, so cooking should be no problem! Who would've thought melting chocolate and pouring them into molds would be so difficult!? She sighed. Who was she kidding? She was a warrior…not a stay-at-home mom. She tried to pour the chocolate into the molds once more, but her hand slipped due to the chocolate on the handle of the pot, and she ended up pouring some hot chocolate onto her foot.

"ARG!! DAMMMMITT!!!!!!!"

Kisuke looked up from his newspaper. He glanced over his shoulder into the kitchen. The door was closed, but he could still hear the swearing coming from it.

"RRAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" He winced as he heard pots and pans fall to the ground. He shrugged. That woman was certainly something. What that something was, he had no clue. Enough was enough. He decided to go check up on all the ruckus in the kitchen.

"Uh, Yorouichi-san? I'm coming in." He pushed his way into the kitchen, only to discover a chocolaty mess all over. He reached to scratch his head. This certainly was a predictament…

Yorouichi looked up from the floor, where she had been holding onto her foot. Gasping, and blushing, she ran up to Kisuke and attempted to block his view.

"Urahara, get out! I don't need your help here!" she panted.

"Eh? Chocolates? What for? They look kind of deformed…" laughed Kisuke.

Furiously blushing, Yorouichi threw back her fist and pummeled it straight into Kisuke's face. "DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY CHOCOLATES URAHARA! WE'LL SEE IF YOU GET ANY TOMORROW!" With that, she threw him out of the kitchen and slammed the door shut.

"My, my…" muttered Kisuke as he got up from the floor, massaging his butt. "I think it's best to leave her alone for now…"

* * *

**The Soul Society**

Nemu sat in silence behind her captain. "Ugh, nothing to do," grumbled Kurotsuchi Mayuri. "No new data…"

Nemu looked up. This was a first; her captain was actually complaining about there being a lack of work. This whole month he had been so edgy because of TOO much work.

Suddenly, Mayuri swirled around on his chair to face his "daughter". "Nemu. What is tomorrow?" he asked.

"Tomorrow is February 14th, Mayuri-sama," she replied. "According to human traditions, it is also known as Valentine's Day. It is also the day of the dance."

He glared at her. "And who are you going with?"

She looked back at him and tilted her head. "I didn't know it would be allowed, Mayuri-sama."

In frustration, Mayuri stood up so quickly that he knocked over the chair. "What is wrong with you, you stupid shinigami? It was made perfectly clear that attendance at that stupid dance is mandatory! Now, answer me when I ask you: who are you going with!!"

Nemu stared him down blankly and replied, "No one, Mayuri-sama. I haven't been asked."

"RAAAWWWRRRR" Screaming in fury, Mayuri raised his fist to hit her. Thinking better of it, he calmed down. "How…dare you embarrass me like that?! To think that my daughter, and my own vice-captain would be so lowly as to not have a date for the dance…don't embarrass me like that!!" Panting, he tried to slow his breathing. "Nemu. You will find a date tomorrow. You will represent the 12th division to the best of your ability."

Nemu silently nodded, but instantly the face of the Quincy appeared in her mind. Mayuri, extremely sharp at reading facial expressions looked at her suspiciously. "And who do you plan on going with, Nemu?" he questioned.

"I'm not sure, Mayuri-sama. The Quincy from the Human world sparked my interest last time we fought."

"Hmm…" Thinking about it, Mayuri decided that the Quincy would be a fine date. He'd certainly be unique, and Nemu would stand out amongst all the shinigami if she attended the dance with a human. "I give you my approval. Go to the human world immediately and retrieve him for tomorrow."

"And if he doesn't agree?" asked Nemu.

"That better not happen, or you'd better not show your face back here!" yelled Mayuri. He paused, and considered the situation. _That Quincy IS stubborn…_he thought. "Fine. Take this potion with you, and slip it into his drink. It'll tranquilize him for at least 5 hours. That should be more than enough time for you to steal him back to the Soul Society."

"Mayuri-sama, how will I get close enough to him to give him the potion?"

"YOU INSOLENT GIRL, DON'T BE STUPID! You will of course, obtain a gigai and pose as a school girl. I don't care the means, just get him!" screamed Kurotsuchi. He walked around and pushed some vials off the table onto the floor, where they shattered.

"Now where is that gigai…Ah, here." He turned around and handed Nemu a naked gigai.

Nemu nodded and stood up. She knew better than to ask for clothes for the gigai. Mayuri-sama might get mad at her again. She grabbed the gigai and turned to go to the human world. Unsheathing her zanpakuto, she sliced the air, creating a portal to the human world, where she stepped through.

Sighing, Mayuri closed his eyes. He of course, wouldn't bother finding a date. That's why it was so important that the 12th division be represented at the social gathering tomorrow. _That Nemu better not mess things up_, he thought.

* * *

shorty-chan refers to captain hitsugaya 

hana-chan: yachiru is referring to her zanpakuto, this is it's name (i just made this up...you know how her zanpakuto's sheath has wheels on it and and flowers drawn on it? well yeah, "hana" means flower in japanese..)

So thats it...hope you enjoyed it!

-the alchemist


	5. Chapter 5

Hi out there! I apologize for my laziness at updating...Thank you for all submitting reviews! Someone told me that the anonymous reviews were disabled, so only ppl logged in could review...in a way, i hope this is true so there's the possibility that more ppl like to read my fanfic and just can't tell me so...but on the other hand i dont know how to fix this...lol so yeah, i'll just hope that you guys do like my fanfic

So anyway, please R&R, and enjoy!

**

* * *

****February 13th**

Uryu Ishida had been walking home from school when he heard the explosion. He glanced around him, but all he could see were the trees that flanked him in the park he had cut through. He looked towards his left, and saw birds flying away from the trees. _A Hollow, here?!_ he wondered. He could feel a faint reiatsu decently close by. _Must be a weak one,_ he thought. He heard another scream, this time by a man. He ran towards the left, towards the reiatsu. All of a sudden, the bushes behind him shook and he whirled around immediately. A shape jumped out towards him, with a black streak down its back. The Hollow turned its head, and Uryu saw shiny white eyes glare at him before it jumped away.

Ishida dropped his bags and ran after the Hollow. He concentrated his reiatsu and formed his bow. He saw the Hollow's black tail trail (that black streak was a tail?) behind it as it hid by a tree. He shot his bow out by the side of the tree. Startled, the Hollow ran in the other direction, but stopped short when Uryu's second arrow barely missed its face. Catching up to the Hollow, Ishida stopped short when he saw it. He blinked twice, then immediately blushed. The Hollow turned to face him, and it wasn't in fact a Hollow at all. It was a naked woman.

**2 hrs before**

Nemu stepped through the portal, lugging her gigai with her. Once through, she looked around and realized she stood in an empty alley. She stepped into her gigai, and looked down. Expecting to see her shinigami's robe, it had instead disappeared and in its place was the naked body of the gigai. Sighing, she stepped out of the alley and onto a sidewalk. She didn't see any clothing stores around her, only weird restaurants and little tands selling takoyaki and ramen. Although, even if there were stores, how was she to obtain the clothing, without any money? She quickly calculated in her head that her best option was to find a store, grab some clothes and run out. With her speed, the angry humans would be no threat.

Nemu started off on her quest to find a clothing store. Although the street she currently walked on was decently empty, everyone he passed gave her funny bug-eyed looks. A car full of guys whistled at her and cat-called as she walked by. _This probably wasn't such a good idea,_ she thought. She calmly kept her cool, even though she was dying to put those guys in their place. However, it wouldn't do to stand out even more than she already was.

She eventually came across a big intersection and traffic even stopped because everyone was staring at her. She blushed slightly and accidentally bumped into a mother trying to shield her son's eyes. The mother stared daggers at Nemu and opened her mouth. Nemu knew what was in store for her; the signs of an approaching lecture were imminent. The bulging eyes, reddened face and angry hand gestures were all signs that Mayuri-sama displayed right before he punished Nemu for her stupid mistakes. Nemu inhaled deeply and let out a small sigh. This only seemed to anger the woman more though.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! You think you can just WALK around here naked? I think I should call the cops on you! There are children around, and you have the frickin' nerve to walk around in PUBLIC like that?!"

Nemu sighed once more and chose to ignore the rampaging woman. In situations like these, Nemu had found it best to remain quiet. She was walking into a park when a man on a horse called to her. Figuring it was just another stupid human boy, she didn't bother to stop. This only seemed to anger the man more, because he brought the horse to a brief stop right in front of her. "Miss, there seems to be a problem here," the policeman stated. Nemu just stared at him dully. "I've received complaints about your outrageous behavior, and as you know, it's against the law to walk around nude. I'm afraid I'll have to take you to the station and write you up. It'll be in your best interest to cooperate."

Nemu didn't know where "the station" was, but she as sure as hell wasn't about to go anywhere with a dirty old man who looked all too eager to take her along. "I'm sorry sir, but that won't be happening today."

The cop by this time had already dismounted from his horse, and was walking towards her with his handcuffs in hand. "Don't make me do this miss," he said. _Yeah right, as if wrestling with a naked girl wouldn't just fulfill your fantasies_, thought Nemu.

She didn't think this old geezer posed much of a challenge, so Nemu nonchalantly turned and started to walk away. The cop, seeing that his felon was turning away, lunged at her and tried to grab her. He thought about grabbing her shoulder, but decided it would be better to grab her lower waist. _Hey, _he thought_. Might as well make the best out of the situation, eh? _Instead, his lunge took him too far and he ended up grabbing Nemu's ass.

Swirling around angrily, before she could even help it, Nemu had muttered an incantation under her breath and the ground right in front of the cop exploded in a blue fire. The combination of the loud explosion and his scream made the birds from the trees immediately fly away in panic. The situation had turned into a bad one, and Nemu, cursing under her breath, jumped away.

She swiftly ran to the right, and peered out of the bushes she had been hiding in. To her luck, she had found the Quincy! However, the look in his eyes told her he wasn't in a joking mood. She thought it best to retreat for a bit and approach him later. She jumped out quickly towards him, and turned her head to get a better look at the Quincy. She quickly sped away.

Hiding behind a tree, Nemu watched as an arrow skimmed the tree. She jumped away, but felt a second arrow graze her cheek. Raising a hand to the cheek, she looked down at it do see crimson blood pouring from the wound. She realized that the situation could turn bad, so she stopped. She turned around, ready to confront the problem.

For a strange reason, the Quincy had stopped in front of her and blushed. She felt his gaze on her body, and suddenly looking down, realized she was naked. She too, in turn, blushed.

* * *

**Somewhere Else in the Human World**

Ichigo Kurosaki had been in his room at the time, debating over whether or not to throw Kon in the wash. The stupid stuffed animal had been coming home late these nights, and always returned reeking of garbage. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it immediately. _Eh, why even bother asking Kon where he's been? He's gonna fuss anyway…I gotta do this quick. _Ichigo was about to scoop up the disgusting bag of fluff and run with him football style downstairs to throw the stuffed animal into the washer machine when a black butterfly attacked his face.

"Arg! Get off me, you stupid-" yelled Ichigo.

"Captains. This is an urgent announcement. Surely you all know what day it is. It is February 13th, as you all know." The voice seemed to be emanating from the swallowtail butterfly.

"I said get off! ERAAAH" screamed Ichigo, fanning the stupid insect away.

"That means that tomorrow is Valentines Day," continued the voice. "I understand that this is very last minute, but to celebrate the romance of tomorrow, the Soul Society will hold a gigantic dance tomorrow night at 8 o'clock. Feel free to bring guests from the human world for this one-time only special night! I expect all captains and vice-captains as well as all shinigami representatives to be present. See you all there!"

"Eh?" Ichigo raised his eyebrows…that voice…seemed familiar somehow. Suddenly the image of a bald, muscular old man popped in his mind. "Wasn't that guy the head honcho of the Soul Society or something…? Eh, well, it doesn't concern me. Leave me alone!" he shouted at the butterfly, which for some apparent reason didn't seem to care that the message didn't apply to him.

The butterfly's vein popped. Here was this stupid human, who refused to let it deliver its message. In anger, the butterfly decided to dive-bomb Ichigo's head in an attempt to give Ichigo the rest of the announcement.

It finally succeeded in attaching securely to the stupid human's face, and proceeded to follow out its instructions.

Ichigo, all battered up by this stupid insect, decided to lay down on his bed. The butterfly still on his face, Ichigo was surprised to hear more of the old man's voice. "I said this message applies to all shinigami representatives! Didn't you hear me?! That means you, Ichigo Kurosaki. Attendance to this dance is mandatory; fail to be present and we will be forced to take your refusal personally."

"Psh, whatever old man," mumbled Ichigo. "I'm not going."

"Even if we hold Rukia Kuchiki captive again…?" questioned Yama-jii. "As you very well know, Byakuya Kuchiki will not stand for the breaking of the rules, and if you, Ichigo, break our rules and traditions, we will have no choice."

"FINE, you stupid old man! I'll be there, but I won't enjoy it, so there!" yelled Ichigo. He was in no mood for another Soul Society battle.

Back in the Soul Society, Yama-jii grinned like a dirty old drunk man. He had succeeded in recruiting the shinigami representative for this dance. His plan was falling into action, and very soon, the Soul Society would never be the same.

**

* * *

**

Renji sighed. All the ways the guys came up with to ask Rukia to the dance were completely hopeless. Hisagi, the romantic fool had suggested flowers and a teddy bear. But Renji knew Rukia wasn't that type of girl. She'd probably laugh and throw them away. Yumichika suggested writing a song for her. But Renji knew she'd only laugh harder. Ikkaku, the violent one, mentioned kidnapping Rukia, blindfolding her and bringing her to the dance by force. Renji thought he was kidding…probably.

He sighed again. He honestly didn't know how to handle this situation at all. He was about to open his mouth when that an annoying little bug popped up.

"HIIIYA Ren-chan! Hi Baldy! Hi Ugly!" shouted Yachiru. The last name had been aimed in Yumichika's direction. Hisagi only received a slight nod of the head from the pink-haired captain.

Renji quickly looked over his shoulder to see the reactions of his fellow shinigami. He was almost scared, but not surprised, to see that they had handled it rather poorly. Ikkaku had risen, hand on his zanpakuto.

"And who are you calling BALD!?!" he screamed. He lunged forward at the vice-captain, who simply jumped on his head and sat there. "Eh!?" He tried to shake her off his head, but only ended up bending his body back and forth, looking like an idiot.

"Hmmm? Stop that baldy; I can't concentrate when you move all around like that!" scolded Yachiru, who promptly whacked his face with her zanpakuto.

Yumichika had been quietly shaking in the corner throughout this ordeal. His closed fist, which he knew would do no good against this tough opponent went through the nearest wall.

Yachiru turned around on top of Ikkaku's head. "Huh? What's the matter, ugly?"

"THAT'S EXACTLY THE MATTER!!! YOU DARE INSULT MY BEAUTY, YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE GIRL?!" roared Yumichika. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY MORE OF YOUR SHI-"

Yachiru, tired of all the yelling, decided to kick Yumichika's face at this point. Looking around as if nothing had happened, she ignored Yumichika's mumbling.

"So Yachiru has come to invited Baldy to the dance tomorrow!" As if collateral, the bag of candy from Ukitake was held out in front of her towards Ikkaku.

Renji turned towards the bald shinigami, who had a look of absolute fear and dread on his face. Laughing, he said to Ikkaku, "Hahaha, oh well man, not as if you had another date to go with anyway-"

"But that's the thing. I do," stated Ikkaku bashfully. "Yachiru-fukataicho, IregrettablyinformyouthatIalreadyhaveadate." He said this all very quickly, as if to lessen the pain by getting it over with quickly.

"WHAT?!" the other shinigami roared. "What the hell's the matter with you, Madarame?" Hisagi said, shaking his head.

"Honestly, Ikkaku! Where have you been, this whole time?! How come this LITTLE detail seemed to slip past you throughout this whole conversation," wondered Renji. This was overwhelming! The idea that Ikkaku had a date was like…unbelievable!

Yachiru sat quietly, absorbing it all. She narrowed her eyes at the scared-looking bald shinigami. "I won't accept your date, baldy! Don't you dare bring another girl to the dance or else I'll kill her!"

If the guys thought this would intimidate Ikkaku, they were mistaken. Ikkaku scratched the back of his head shyly, and threw out, "She's a human, Yachiru-fukataicho. Shinigami aren't allowed to harm humans."

"But-but! Human's can't come to Soul Society!" stammered Yachiru.

"Ahhh, but Yama-jii said we could bring humans!" gasped Yumichika. "Ikkaku, you sly dog…I didn't even know you…liked girls." Laughing hysterically, Yumichika giggled as he dodged Ikkaku's kicks.

"YOU DAMN BASTARD! I'LL SHOW YOU!" screamed Ikkaku, who seemed to have taken the little joke about his sexual preferences rather personally. "TAKE THIS: BAAAANNNN-KKKKAAAAA-"

Sighing, Renji, and Hisagi whacked the back of Ikkaku's head. His temper was sure something to deal with, but they were used to it. Once he calmed down, Hisagi asked the question they were all dying to hear. "So who is it already?"

Even Yachiru had leaned in to hear Ikkaku's mumbled response. "Her name is Mizuho Asano. A sister of one of the humans I stayed with when we were in the Human World."

Yumichika gasped. "So, you DO like her! AHAHAHHAHAH, it must be the way she plays with your bald head! I've seen you guys, AHHAHAHAHAH!!!"

Yachiru frowned at this news, while in the background Ikkaku continued to pummel Yumichika. This was bad news. Who was she to take? And after all that trouble she went through to get this candy…She started wailing because of the unfortunate turn of events.

The guys awkwardly looked at each other, and then at the wailing vice-captain. "Uh, Yachiru-fukataicho, it's ok, it's gonna be alright," comforted Hisagi, patting the little girl on the back.

"Wahhhhh…..but-but…I went though all this trouble to get candy so baldy would go with me…" cried Yachiru.

For the billionth time in what seemed like 15 minutes, Renji sighed. "Why don't you take Yumichika, Yachiru-san?"

Yumichika's head turned around so swiftly that Hisagi thought it would snap off the neck. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, RENJI???!!?!!"

Yachiru stopped crying and thought about it. Sniffling, she guessed that Ugly would be an ok date…"Alright Ugly! Will you go to the dance with me?!!!?" she held out the bag of chocolate in front of Yumichika.

He sweatdropped as he stared at the little vice-captain. He could feel nudges at the back of his head from the other guys. "C'mon! You know what kind of hell she'll put us through if she doesn't get a date!" whispered Hisagi. "Besides," mentioned Renji, "you're the only one who doesn't have a date! Do it for us!"

Groaning, Yumichika grudgingly accepted the bag of candy from Yachiru's tiny hands. "Fine, I'll uh, go with you, Yachiru-fukataicho."

"YAYYYY!!!!" screamed Yachiru. "Ok, Ugly, you can pick me up tomorrow night! I'll see you then!" With that, she bounced out of sight.

It was now Yumichika's turn to sigh. What had he gotten himself into? He turned towards the other guys, glaring at them. "You DO know this means you'll HAVE to bring Matsumoto and Rukia, right? Because if you bastards go dateless, I'm going to kill you. After all, that was your excuse for leaving ME with Yachiru, WASN'T IT?!?!!!"

**

* * *

**

Zaraki Kenpachi sat on the porch, waiting for Captain Unohana to return with the bandages. He never felt like this before, especially not in the presence of a woman. But then again…he tried to think. How many times before had he been in the presence of a woman, alone? Why had this particular woman spark such a strange feeling? He couldn't understand this at all…

"Zaraki-taicho?" The voice came from behind Kenpachi. He, being too caught up in his thoughts was too busy to even notice the presence of Unohana behind him. Cursing silently at himself for being so distracted, he looked up at the smiling captain.

"Here, lie down for me please," started Unohana, rolling up Kenpachi's pants even further.

For the first time in his life, Zaraki was speechless and defenseless. Even if he had wanted to get up away from Unohana, he couldn't command his body to move. Her soft touch against the minor gash in his leg felt like heaven. All he could do was close his eyes and enjoy the moment.

As quickly as it had come, it had gone. Before he knew it, his leg was treated and wrapped up. He started to sit up, and that's when Unohana noticed the scars on his chest.

"Might I have a look at your scars, Zaraki-taicho?" asked Unohana. When she received his nod of approval, she slowly repositioned herself to his side. He had lied down again, and she gently pushed aside his kimono to reveal his bare chest. "These scars look relatively new, Zaraki-taicho," noted Unohana, running her hand over the scars.

"Yeah," mumbled Zaraki. What was this? It was hard to even talk…but no matter what, Zaraki didn't want to make a fool out of himself. He forced himself to concentrate on the conversation, rather on the soft touch of the captain's hands on his chest. "That big one was from a fight with one of the ryoka. Ichigo Kurosaki." He stared off into the distance, recalling that beloved fight. He was brought back to reality when Unohana's touch awoke him.

"I have some-some cream that uh, might be reduce the scarring, if you wanted," quietly mumbled Unohana.

Zaraki looked up at the woman, and was surprised to see her blushing. He too, felt his cheeks reddening. Her hand remained on his chest. Before he even realized it, his right hand reached up to her cheek and to her surprise, his touch was gentle.

Unohana could feel the calluses on the hand resting on her cheek. Her blush crept even further down her face to her neck. For a while now, it had seemed that Unohana had noticed Zaraki above the other captains. She couldn't help staring at his rough nature whenever in his presence, however always drawing her gaze to the floor when he looked at her direction. She leaned in towards the body lying before her, stopping when their faces were inches apart.

By this time, Zaraki's heart was beating as fast as it always did in a good battle. He even felt all tingly, just like with a battle! He was shocked that anything other than a bloodly violent clash of swords could produce such an effect. This feeling, this adrenaline rush that he always sought, who could have thought he could achieve such a feeling from a simple touch?!

He didn't know what to do; he was a novice at such matters. All he could do was stare back with one eye at the captain whose face was inches from his. He was surprised to see that the normally smiling face was now concentrated and serious.

Unohana didn't know what to do either. Her body seemed to move on its own, closer and closer to Zaraki's face. She was too busy trying to regain control of her emotions to even smile. She wanted to kiss Zaraki softly on the lips, but didn't know how the reckless and violent captain would react. She moved in even closer, deciding to at least kiss his cheek when she heard her name being called.

"Unohana-taicho?" The voice of Isane, her vice-captain grew louder as Isane approached the porch. "Unohana-taicho?" The screen door to the porch opened just as Unohana pulled her face away from Zaraki's. She turned around, smiling to her vice-captain. "Did you need something, Isane?"

Startled at the guest, Isane glanced at the two of them. Had she come in at a bad time? She shook her head mentally; there was no way the rough Zaraki Kenpachi could fall for the quiet and sweet Unohana-taicho. "Uhm, yeah. We have some patients newly arrived from the 1st division, taicho. We needed your help with one of the particular patients. I'll uhm, go tell them that you'll be with them shortly," stammered Isane, who hurried off.

Unohana slowly raised up and turned towards Zaraki, although avoiding his eyes. "I'll return shortly with that cream for your scars, Zaraki-taicho. I'll leave it on the side for you while I tend to my patients." With that, she headed towards the screen door, stepped though, and quietly shut it after her.

Zaraki was once again, speechless. His heart pounded so hard and fast; what exactly had happened back there? What would he have done, if she actually kissed him? Was he supposed to kiss her? He was so confused…And didn't she say she'd leave the cream for him? Was that supposed to mean that he was to apply it himself, or was she going to do it for him? He shook his head. Of course he was competent enough to apply some stupid ointment himself, but still…it wouldn't have been so bad if she did it for him. To feel her soft hands on his chest again…

Zaraki got up. He was too baffled by what had happened to care about the anti-scarring ointment. This feeling…there were only two things in the world that could produce it. One was the rush of a battle. The other…was this woman's touch. Even the way she looked at him made him blush and nervous. No woman's gaze had ever done this…and Zaraki was addicted to it.

* * *

that's all folks! hope you enjoyed it! 


	6. Chapter 6

Hello there! Wow...it's almost been a year since I've last updated...for that I apologize. Last year was quite busy...but now that it's summer, I should have more time to update. I thank Sonic Sound for reminding me that I need to update! Thank you for your comment; it fired me up! So here is the next installment! I hope you enjoy it! As always, R&R, thanks!

-the alchemist

* * *

**The Real World**

Ikkaku looked around. This seemed to be the right place…he took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. He blushed and scratched his head; he hoped he wouldn't make a fool out of himself. The door opened and Mizuho Asano stared at the bald guy standing in front of her.

Scratching his head, Ikkaku tried to explain himself before she freaked out, "Uhh, I know it's been a while--"

With a shriek, Mizuho launched herself at the figure standing in the doorway. "MY LOOOOOVEE!! YOU CAME BACK TO ME!!"

Startled, Ikkaku wasn't sure if he was supposed to embrace the body clinging to him, or finish his sentence. He decided on the latter. "Uhm, hi. I guess you remember me then."

"Of COURSE I do! How could I ever forget that wonderfully smooth and shiny head of yours!" Mizuho looked as if it were too good to be true. Could it possibly be that her shining prince was here to whisk her away?

"…" Ikkaku was actually surprised at his own reaction to being called bald. He was surprisingly ok with it, as long as Mizuho said it! "Yeah…well I dunno if you know, but tomorrow is--"

"VALENTINE'S DAY, MY LOVE!" shrieked Mizuho.

Blushing and turning away, Ikkaku wondered if it was still a good idea to ask her. However, Mizuho was staring at him so intently with her hands clasped, that he was forced into a corner.

"Do you want to go to a dance with me tomorrow night?" he finally managed to spit out.

"EEEEEKKKKK!! Ohmygosh, really? YOU MUST REALLY REALLY LIKE ME!" exclaimed Mizuho, her eyes turning to hearts.

"Err, yeah. I'll come back tomorrow night at 7:30 to pick you up then, ok?" mumbled Ikkaku. He turned to leave and tried his best to ignore the shrill screams coming from the doorway.

* * *

Uryu Ishida stared at the naked woman before him. Color quickly rushed to his cheeks. Swirling around quickly, he shouted over his shoulder. He hoped she hadn't seen him stare stupidly.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't see anything, I pr-promise!" Uryu didn't really think she'd buy it. He had recognized her identity and was wondering what to do about the situation, when he then realized she was naked. A smarter decision would be to question her and find out why the Shinigami was in the human world. Too bad embarrassment prevented him from doing any interrogations.

Nemu tilted her head to the side and smiled slightly. She had seen the Quincy blush and was amused. She moved closer to him.

Hearing footsteps, Uryu turned around with his eyes tightly shut, hands in front of him to prevent her from approaching any closer. What if she didn't stop moving though? What if she walked up to him? She was naked…and his hands were stretched outwards…what if…? The thought of it made him blush even more. Eyes still shut, he stripped quickly of his coat and silently asking for forgiveness, opened his eyes just enough to drape the coat on Nemu's body.

"Come with me!" Still blushing, Uryu grabbed Nemu's arm and dragging her with him. When they reached his house, he pulled her in his room and quickly shut the door. "Now. What are you doing here, Shinigami? Don't think I forgot the last time we met, you tried to kill me."

Nemu stared at the Quincy. How was she to approach this? Thinking about it made her blush.

Seeing the color rise to her cheeks, Uryu too began to blush. "D-don't think that I'll go easy on you just because you're a woman!" he exclaimed.

"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day," stated Nemu quite plainly. "Mayuri-sama has made it very clear that I am to have a date to accompany me to the dance in the Soul Society. I'm sure that you're clever enough to put one and one together."

"…" The Quincy was baffled. Here he was, expecting a fight, and instead he got a dance invitation? It was all too stupid to deal with. "Get out. Now. Don't think that I have time to waste, especially in the presence of Shinigami!" Uryu was frustrated at the whole situation. He pulled her up from the floor and pushed her towards the exit.

* * *

Seeing that the situation was not going to be easy, Nemu allowed herself to be led to the exit. Taking the potion Mayuri-sama had given her, she poured it in her mouth.

If Uryu hadn't been so flustered, perhaps he would've been more prepared. However, the earlier incident was still on his mind, and for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about it. Thus, when Nemu suddenly swirled around from in front of him, Uryu wasn't ready to guard himself. He tried to bring his arms up to prevent an attack, but it wasn't that type of attack.

Nemu, being the skilled Shinigami that she was, found Uryu's lips without much difficulty. She had no trouble spinning on the spot and meeting his lips with hers. In his shock, Uryu was paralyzed even without the potion's help. He gasped a little, and taking advantage of the situation, Nemu transferred the potion from her mouth, to his.

"Ughh.." Grimacing, Uryu could feel his muscles weakening. His vision blurred and he felt his knees collapse from under him. Expecting to feel the hard floor as he fell, instead he found himself in soft arms. Struggling to understand the situation, he saw Nemu's warm smile before he passed out.

Nemu looked at the limp body in her arms. Strangely, she blushed again. Why was she feeling this way? And towards a human, nonetheless…truly baffling. She picked up the Quincy's body and opening the gate to the Soul Society, stepped through the portal.

* * *

**The Soul Society**

Renji stared at his empty hands. He had decided against the flowers and candy, as the other guys had suggested. Rukia was the kind of person to want things straight up in the front. He gulped, hoping he was capable of that. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Huh? Renji-fukataicho? Do you need something?" asked Ukitake.

Renji screened the room with his eyes. Rukia wasn't in it! "Huh? Oh…no, my apologies Ukitake-taicho. I was uh, looking for Rukia…you wouldn't happen to know where she is, by any chance?" he asked.

Suddenly, Ukitake's eyes turned soft and sparkly. "Ahhh," he sighed contently. "This wouldn't have anything to do with tomorrow's mandatory Valentine's dance, would it, Renji-fukataicho?"

Renji willed himself not to blush, but to no avail. He stammered a bit, trying to think of an excuse. "Uhm, no, I would never, I mean, well….I-I-I, that is, I mean to say…"

Smiling and noticing the vice captain's clear discomfort, Ukitake decided to go easy on the poor, lovesick fellow. "Don't worry about it Renji. I saw her last in the training grounds."

Bowing low, Renji was thankful that the captain had prevented him from making even a bigger fool out of himself. "Thank you, Ukitake-taicho!"

Chuckling to himself, Ukitake waved Renji off. "Good luck!" he called to the Shinigami as he hurried off.

* * *

Rukia sat on the grass by herself. This was the same place many years ago, that Kaien had given her Valentine's chocolates.

**Flashback**

"Rukia-chan!" Jogging over to his subordinate, Kaien smiled as he approached Rukia. Plopping himself next to her on the grass, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cute little bag of chocolates. "Here ya go!"

Startled by his sudden presence, Rukia stared at the pink, ribboned bag of candy Kaien-dono was holding out for her. Staring at it, then at his smiling face, she slowly reached out to accept it. "Kaien-dono, is it really ok to accept this?" questioned Rukia. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck.

"Of course it's ok, Rukia-chan!" smiled Kaien. He nudged the bag of chocolates to Rukia, who seemed reluctant to take them.

"Is it…appropriate, Kaien-dono?" Rukia quietly asked. Oh no, the blush was spreading to her cheeks! She hoped Kaien-dono wouldn't notice.

Laughing, Kaien took Rukia's hands and placed the chocolate in them. "Rukia-chan, you know me! I would never tease my subordinates like that. It's entirely appropriate; I've given them to the rest of the squad, as well as Ukitake-taicho. No worries."

Relieved, Rukia smiled down at the chocolates. Jokingly, she pondered, "But Kaien-dono, isn't the tradition in the human world for the girls to give the _guys_ chocolates?"

"Ehhhh?? Really, Rukia-chan??"

* * *

Smiling softly to herself, Rukia chuckled quietly. Kaien-dono was always so cute when he was confused. And of course, when he smiled…Her happy thoughts turned to thoughts of sadness, when she realized he wasn't here anymore. She remembered the look on his face that night. The look of such pain…she remembered the feeling of her zanpakutou impaling his body. Silent tears fell down her face as she shut her eyes, and attempted to shut her mind to the voices and screams of that night.

Running, Renji stopped short when he saw Rukia's tears stream down her face. He was a little unsure what to do, but decided to sit next to her. If she noticed his presence she didn't acknowledge it. The two sat in silence for a bit, when Rukia finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Renji" stated Rukia, smiling bitterly to herself. "Love is just another unnecessary distraction…I…I was better off without it."

Renji, knowing exactly what Rukia was talking about, said nothing as the tears continued to fall down her face. Laughing and trying to put on a smile, Rukia turned to Renji. "I'm sorry for being weak."

Renji's face was pained, his body silently shaking. He couldn't hold it in any longer, and suddenly reached out, pulled Rukia close to his body, and held her there. Startled, Rukia looked up. "Ren-Renji? What…what are you--"

His hand on her head, the other hugging her to him, Renji spoke in a voice surprisingly clear. "Rukia…It's ok to cry sometimes…it's not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength…only those who have loved know the pain it brings…that very pain brings them strength."

Tears welled in Rukia's eyes again as Renji continued, "I've always been looking after you, Rukia. And I'll always be here for you to lean on, to cry on." _Even if Kaien isn't_, he added silently.


End file.
